Stephen King response post (due 3.5.18 by 11:59 pm) : Read the article on our site: 
Stephen King: Grandmaster of Horror and watch the 13 minute interview with King exploring the “Top 10 Rules for Success.”
Questions and thoughts to consider when examining Stephen King: the influence of his family background, locations on his storytelling, why fear matters, themes that impact readers, what it means to explore terror.
Assignment: List two to three items that you found interesting or unique about Stephen King’s through his biography and his approach to writing. Why did it interest you? Make sure that you post something original and are not rehashing what another student has already posted (unless you can approach your response in a different manner).
Award Winning Filmmakers 
Just as we’ve seen with Woody Allen and Clint Eastwood, you can tell that Stephen King absolutely loves storytelling and doesn’t want to stop. My jaw dropped when I read that “King’s writing spans over 40 years and 60 books [and] has also had nearly 100 of his works adapted into film and television scripts.” Not to mention that he’s 70 years old now and still going strong! I admire those who allow their passions and interests to guide them for their entire lives, and considering how long King has been writing, especially horror, it’s clear that he has a true passion for it.
King obviously holds a special place in his heart for his home state of Maine. He went to college in the same state as he grew up, much as I did, and he has since used Maine as the backdrop for the majority of his writings. I think it says a lot about him and about what he thinks of his state that he would always choose it to set his stories. It also goes to show how he is so capable of painting a vivid picture. He doesn’t have to imagine the locations he writes about, he has likely Seen them. He knows the trees common to his state, the landscape, the types of architecture even. This may seem like a tiny detail but in my opinion tiny details are what separate decent authors from great ones.
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Thanks Christian – You got it -when you know something like the back of your hand, you can write about it in every detail.
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In many ways, Stephen King reminded me of another famous writer, JK Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter. The first similarity I noticed is their response to rejection. King had dealt with numerous dismissals of his projects by publishing companies, but instead of becoming discouraged, he used this to fuel his desire to work toward improvement. Rowling experienced the same thing many times with Harry Potter. The ability to positively respond to adversity is what separates good writers and filmmakers from great ones. A parallel can also be drawn between the remarkable stories that King and Rowling both wrote. The wondrous ideas and creativity displayed in their writing projects are incredibly unique. This is another crucial component of being a successful storyteller. Without an intriguing original story, they have no solid foundation.
I was also intrigued by the way that Stephen King views horror in the everyday world. His quote, “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real, too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win,” is a perfect microcosm of his view of terror and psychologically unsettling elements. He even saw the seemingly innocent children’s film of “Bambi” as a horror flick. I think part of what makes King’s stories so successful is that many of them create a connection with the audience’s nature as human beings. Many of his projects are created specifically to illustrate the intense fear that people feel in their worst nightmares. By bringing these nightmares to life, King has produced a truly incredible career for himself.
– Thomas Manning
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Thomas – Great comparison with JK.
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I find Stephen King’s communication style very organized and yet unspecific. When he was answering questions, in the video provided, he often talked in analogies and answered questions indirectly. He made me really think and actively interrupt what he was saying. To me this means that the is an excellent writer, because he lives the way that he writes. He is detailed and sounds like a walking thesaurus.
I was surprised at how King was introduced to the genre he is now famous for. I didn’t like “Bambi”, because it was scary and sad. I find that very funny that King was drawn to write and create multiple worlds from this inspirational movie, and I was just inspired to cry.
Another thing I didn’t know about King was that he used a different writing name, which was Richard Bachman. I am surprised that King was so self conscious of what other people thought. In the article provided, it said that King didn’t think people would buy his books if there were multiple books released under his name in the same year. It is smart that King used another name, because it widened his fan base. I just find it interesting that he thought that was the best course of action.
-Sam Grove
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I loved this: “He is detailed and sounds like a walking thesaurus.”
I think many writers, artists, singers, filmmakers, etc. suffer from self-esteem issues. Many put up this false facade.
Thanks Sam
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Tanner Hoyle Response Post
I really liked Stephen King’s response when someone asked why he usually likes to do Horror or Sci-Fi works. While most wouldn’t think of Bambi as a thriller, it’s interesting that that scene as an animated deer in a burning forest is what sparked films like IT, Misery, and The Shining. I like how King has found his niche and stuck to it. When a filmmaker just naturally does a specific genre very well, I don’t see a reason to change that. King has done a great job and provided us with many great thrillers.
I also was interested to read about King’s early life. He seems to have led a pretty normal life early on, unlike Tim Burton’s more dark childhood. I think that when we see a filmmaker like Tim Burton, or Stephen King, we tend to assume that there was something in their childhood or growing up that caused them to make the films that they do, but in King’s case I think that he just genuinely enjoys this genre and has found great success in it.
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Now Tanner – Although King is known for the horror/suspense/thrillers … he’s also ventured into drama (Stand by Me, Shawshank Redemption, and some others).
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It was interesting to see some of King’s ‘rules’ for success spelled out. It made me wonder about his writing process and approach to stories versus that of someone like James Patterson. The two both come to mind as authors with prolific titles to their names. While Patterson apparently turns out his constant numbers by writing the basic plotline of a novel and letting a second author fill in the blanks. Meanwhile, it seems that King goes through the process by himself, with perhaps some inspiration from others and the outside world. I think that King’s methods seem more impressive, and appreciate his comments about staying in the world of the story for only so long, because more time might make him a little crazy. This sentiment is certainly believable of some of his stories.
It is also neat to me that a King trademark is making several of his characters writers. This element reminds me a little of woody Allen’s tendency to put a character like himself in his films. It also made me think of King’s cameo performance as himself in the film ‘Stuck in Love’ (2012), in which he calls an aspiring young writer to encourage him about his manuscript in progress. These methods could help to encourage other young writers, much like some of his rules for success that he has revealed in various interviews.
-Chelsea Sydnor
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I, too appreciated understanding his “methods” in a different way. Good comparison to Woody Allen (writers in stories). – Thanks Chelsea
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As a big fan of conspiracy theories, I love a filmmaker who can successfully use an “Easter Egg.” While I’ve never seen a Stephen King film, I imagine that he uses this trademark to his advantage. Not only does he make stories that force people to become introspective and truly think about human nature, but he pushes the boundaries even further by connecting present stories to previous stories.
One of the things that he kept repeating in his interview is that “the good stuff stays.” I was surprised to hear that he wrote the first part of “Under the Dome” as a young adult and did not finish it until much later in his career. In fact, it seems that he didn’t physically write down all of his ideas at first; rather, he kept them in the back of his mind for many years before he actually wrote the story. King believes that he was not ready to write the story when it first came to him, because at that age, he wasn’t ready. I think this can be applied to everyday life – especially to young, ambitious college students. Although something might not work out right now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s never meant to be.
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I love King’s approach to always “capturing your ideas” and saving them for later … and then “adding to them.” That allows him to have an ever-evolvolving creative process. Your “Under the Dome” example is a perfect one.
I can’t believe you’ve never seen a SK story … that has to change.
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Stephen King
1. It is interesting to learn the Stephen’s first novel success that greatly demonstrated his style of writing was “Carrie”. This book does not get enough recognition today despite being successful. When most people hear the name Stephen King, they think immediately “The Shining” or “It”. “Carrie seems the most important successful work for King as this was the first of his many novels and films that displayed to the public his style of writing in a terrifying and unique way when creating works of horror/supernatural.
2. I was shocked when I read how Stephen King was influenced into writing mostly in the horror genre, and how he was influenced into depicting the horror and supernatural sides of nature in most of his books. I was caught off guard that King’s influence for getting into the horror genre and his writing style came from the movie Bambi, which is a Disney movie geared toward family and children. His reasoning for viewing this film as part of the genre is insightful. Stephen King said that when he saw the scene in the film where Bambi was escaping from the fire he commented, “I was terrified, but I was also exhilarated. I can’t explain it.” This view on a scene from a family film is insightful as it will help to analyze films to find hidden genres used despite the main ones depicted. Stephen King’s unique view on the film will help me to see future films as more than how the director originally depicted them.
-Allie Smith
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Several of you mentioned the “Bambi” reference; yes, that was a interesting choice of a film to inspire someone into horror. But, Allie, I think that you nailed it, sometimes looking beyond the surface of a film (or story) genre can inspire or challenge us to look at things differently. Thanks for sharing all. – NTM II
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